Manuscripts Matter conference

Celebrating modern literary archives as a rich and vibrant resource for research and teaching, Manuscripts Matter was a two day conference organised by the UK Literary Heritage Working Group in partnership with the British Library.

Chaired by Lord Smith of Finsbury, participants included Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate (above), Mark Le Fanu, chairman of the Society of Authors and prize-winning author A S Byatt. 125 representatives from collecting institutions, authors, funders and dealers considered the future of  collecting and disseminating these valuable resources.

‘Manuscripts take us right to the heart of the matter, into the engine room’, said Andrew Motion. 'Manuscripts matter’, he said, and, if they are to be used effectively, ‘where they are kept matters as well.’